Digital Age Limits: Greece Mandates Verification for Under-15 Users
A new European regulation requires major tech platforms to implement strict age checks to restrict social media access for children under fifteen starting next year.
By Robert Hayes ·
Consumers across the European market face a shifting regulatory landscape as Greece finalizes a comprehensive ban on social media use for minors under the age of 15. This legislative move, which becomes effective on January 1, 2027, signals a significant tightening of digital compliance standards for major tech companies operating in the region. For parents and young users, the change means that access to popular networks will no longer be open by default, requiring new mechanisms for proof of age before account creation or continued use.
The Greek parliament has officially enacted the law, fulfilling a promise made earlier this year by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The legislation targets prominent platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. These services are now mandated to deploy age-verification methods that are both reliable and proportionate to the risks involved. As one of the first binding restrictions of its kind within the European Union, the law sets a precedent that other member states may follow, potentially forcing tech firms to harmonize their age-check technologies across the entire continent.
Dimitris Papastergiou, the minister for digital governance and AI, emphasized the urgency of the measure in his public statements. He noted that inaction would have been an easy choice, but the current state of digital immersion among youth demanded a governmental response. The minister described the initiative as a duty of a responsible state, arguing that children are increasingly absorbed by the internet and require clearer boundaries to protect their development.
Compliance with the new act is enforced through the framework of the EU's Digital Services Act, meaning non-compliant platforms face financial penalties. To assist households, the government will support state-backed applications named Kids Wallet and Gov.gr. These tools will pair with a child's device to block unauthorized access. Papastergiou highlighted that these applications use age tokens to verify identity while minimizing the collection of personal data, aiming to balance security with privacy protection for young users.
The bill faced opposition from minority political parties, leading Mitsotakis to utilize his majority to push the measure through the legislative process. This action follows a 2024 policy that restricted mobile phone usage in schools. Public opinion surveys indicate strong support among the adult population for this new restriction, suggesting a broad consensus on the need for digital guardrails for minors.
Looking ahead, the Greek government intends to influence broader European policy. Mitsotakis stated that the national goal is to steer the EU in the same direction. This aligns with recent actions by the European Commission, which proposed the EU Kids Act. That continental proposal currently stipulates an outright ban only for children under 13, making Greece's under-15 threshold more restrictive. Australia remains the first nation to implement a full social media ban for children, though it has encountered significant challenges in the practical implementation of age verification systems, a hurdle Greece now seeks to navigate effectively.
Source: Engadget
